The River Birch 'Dura Heat®', 'Betula nigra, 'BNMTF' Dura Heat®', is extremely popular as an ornamental. The beautiful creamy, white exfoliating bark at an early age on the trunk and branches is one of the reasons why it is so popular. It is hardy for most all U.S. climate zones, is fast-growing, nicely forked, and wind and ice resistant. 'Dura Heat' has a denser canopy of foliage than the species River Birch along with leaf spot resistance. The Dura Heat is denser and the leaves are greener in the summer months. The tree is very intolerant to shade. Dura Heat prefers moist sites, but as it's name implies, tolerates drier and hotter conditions better than most other river birch. It is an excellent specimen tree.